Wednesday July 26th 2023

Today began very early. I had an 8AM appointment in Ocala to have my new car setup to be towed behind my motorhome. Ocala is about two hours away in normal conditions. To make sure I arrived on time, I departed my RV home at 5:30AM this morning. The first half of the trip south was in the dark followed by the glare of the rising sun. I made it with plenty of time to spare.

The next six hours were spent waiting for my car to have major surgery. They need to take the front bumper assembly off to install the base plate to the frame. The front bumper assembly includes the headlights, front running lights and lots of sensors. They also run wires from the front of the car to the tail lights and through the firewall into the cabin. The shop also installed a trailer hitch receiver in the back so I can use my bike rake to carry my bicycle.

I spent the time watching YouTube videos on my cell phone and observing the other patrons of the Hitching Post shop. In addition to setting up cars for towing, they install trailer hitches, bed covers for truck beds and other aftermarket equipment. It seems to be a busy business. There were two other 8AM appointments this morning and when I departed this afternoon several people were waiting for service.

Traffic on the way south this morning was light after I got out of the greater Jacksonville area. Returning home this afternoon, traffic was heavy all the way. Once I got to the beltway around Jacksonville it really slowed down. I got home shortly before 5PM. It was a long day, but I have my new vehicle towable. There are a few more things I need to check out to optimize the connection for towing. Specifically I need to make sure the light are wired correctly and that the height of the towbar makes a level connection. That will happen over the next couple of days. I still have almost a month before I plan to travel again.